Goat Yoga's Rise From Oregon Experiment To Internet Sensation

In late 2016, Corvallis resident Lainey Morse found out what it’s like to go viral.

Morse is the founder of Goat Yoga. (It’s yoga — with goats.) She started it on her picturesque Oregon farm when a friend who taught yoga asked to hold a class there.

Morse, a photographer, took pictures and sent them to Modern Farmer magazine. Shortly after her first class and a write-up in Modern Farmer, Goat Yoga took off. Her backyard experiment became a global internet sensation.

“It makes you feel like you’re on this roller coaster that you can’t get off,” she said. “But you don’t want to get off though.”

So she didn’t.

Morse made Goat Yoga her full-time job in an attempt to turn that viral energy into a sustainable business.

She started licensing Goat Yoga classes across the country and even sought a book deal.

Behind Morse’s drive is her belief that goats provide people with more than just cute Instagram photos. She likens yoga with goats to horseback riding or taking your dog for a walk. It’s calming and therapeutic — and it can make you smile.

“You don’t always have to be so serious about things. Just get out and do something fun and different,” she said. “Goat Yoga’s about as different as it gets.”